Sunday, February 26

The Ideal Winter Soup

Ok ... I realize that by now you have probably figured out I have an insatiable sweet tooth. But I am going to break the cycle and start uploading some savory dishes. What is better in the cold month of February than soup?! I tracked down this recipe for Miso Ginger Carrot Soup (thank you Smitten Kitchen) and I don't even have words for how good it was. Not to mention how easy it is to make. All you need is a potato peeler, an immersion blender, and some sort of pot to house your delicious creation.

Start by peeling 1 or 2 bunches of carrots (approx. 2 lbs) and then dice them into small medallions. Then dice the onion and about 4 or 5 cloves of garlic. Throw all of this into your pot with some olive oil and sautee for roughly 10 minutes, or until the onions look translucent (you don't want them to cook for too long).

After your veggies are done cooking you're going to grate about 1 or 2 tablespoons of ginger and add this along with 4 cups of vegetable broth to your concoction. Put the lid on and let simmer for 30 minutes. Your apartment will quickly begin to smell absolutely amazing.

After 30 minutes have gone by take a fork and test the carrots - they should be tender to the touch (if you have an old apartment stove like I do you may have to let your soup cook for another 10 minutes or so). Now comes the fun part: time to break out the immersion blender. Put the blender right into the pot and start blending! Your mixture will transform itself in a matter of seconds. To add the miso paste take a bowl of the blended soup and a whisk and simply whisk in about 1/4 c. of the miso paste then add this the big pot and VOILA! You are finished. How easy is that?

Verdict: YUUUUUMMMMMMM! The sesame oil and onions really add another dimension of flavor (although if you aren't a green onion fan the soup is fantastic on its own as well - it has a nice layer of sweetness to it).

(Go ahead and try to tell me this doesn't make your mouth water from just looking at the photos)